


Outcasts

by CosmicKrys



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Adult Themes, Eventual Romance, F/M, Mystery, mature content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:35:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicKrys/pseuds/CosmicKrys
Summary: Galar's famous for a lot of things, but their main attraction is an all-Pokemon rock band called The Maximizers. And now that the gym challenge was over, they can finally go on tour again! And you somehow end up travelling with them.After waking up adrift at sea as a Drizzile with no recollection of who you were beforehand, you set off around the region to find the missing pieces of this strange puzzle. But how were you going to explain to your new friends that you were once a human? On top of that, you slowly begin to learn that Pokemon and humans aren't as different as you once believed...
Relationships: Drizzile/Toxtricity, Reader/Toxtricity
Comments: 14
Kudos: 92





	1. Adrift

**Author's Note:**

> This originally wasn't going to be an xreader insert but I was also very wary on using an unnamed OC as the protag when editing, so I made some changes.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it anyway.
> 
> Edit: So I just learned that the band that plays in the end-credits is legit and has a name. Fixed the summary accordingly.

_What the hell happened…?_

It was the first thing that went through your mind as your vision finally began to return from the vast void of black before you. The very first thing you noticed was that you were floating...and unbearably sore. _Everything_ hurt - you couldn’t even move without an intense surge of pain wrecking every nerve and muscle to its very core. You gritted your teeth and winced as you attempted to focus on your surroundings, but all you could see was a blurry mess of various blues and whites. That’s when you heard it; It was muffled, but distinct enough to be recognizable. The thalassophobia inducing rumble of water in one’s ears...meaning that you were underwater. But how? You don’t remember going swimming recently...and this was too deep to be a pool. A lake? No...you could taste the salty brine of the ocean in the back of your throat. Did you drown? Are you currently drowning? But you could breathe...perhaps you were already dead…?

Your vision began to fade again, but you could feel the ocean currents carry you to regions unknown. Not that you could stop it; you were far too weak and hurt to attempt swimming in any other direction than where the sea wanted to take you. Perhaps this _was_ the afterlife, and you were but one soul amongst many in the River Styx being taken to your final destination. 

You just wish you could remember how you ended up like this to begin with.

Ah...the blue hues of the sea began to darken, your strength leaving you as you found yourself falling back into unconsciousness. You welcomed it - it numbed the pain, and you were so tired.

So...so...tired…

**. . .**

_“Nessa! What happened? What is…?”_

_“I don’t know. They were just drifting out there face-down...I couldn’t just leave them out there to die!”_

Voices. A bit muffled but clear enough to where you could understand what they were saying. You didn’t recognize any of them, but one was female and the other was male. You could feel the cold air hit your skin as you were transferred from the warm embrace of the ocean to who knows where. You wanted to open your eyes, but they refused to open. You wanted to move your arms and legs, but they remained limp. You were cold, and wet...and until you felt something dry and warm embrace your unconscious body. Did someone save you…?

_“Is it…?”_

_“No. They’re alive...barely.”_

_“Where did--h-hey Ness…! Where are you going?!”_

_“The Pokemon Center, where else??”_

The female...she was holding you firm to her body as she broke into a full sprint. But...why was she taking you to a Pokemon Center? You needed to go to a hospital! Maybe it was the only clinic within the near vicinity? 

You wish you could see. Or even speak. Maybe you could tell the female you needed a proper clinic for people instead of one for Pokemon. But, alas, your body continued to go rogue, and you could only lie there and rely on your other senses to gather information about your surroundings for you. The first thing you notice was the scents; the air carried the same salty brine as the sea, meaning you were either near a coast or in a harbor. Probably both. You could hear the shrill squawks of Wingull overhead, and the female’s heavy breaths and heavy steps on concrete as she ran towards the Center. You could also hear other people around, but their voices were fleeting, insignificant.

Soon you heard a ringing bell and the slam of two doors being forced open. There were several gasps from the other people in the lobby, others calling out the female’s name. They kept saying Nessa...Gym Leader Nessa...is that who she is?

A few more strides until you heard another pair of steps hurrying towards you. “Nessa” was panting as you felt another pair of hands take your body. _Why did you feel so...small all of a sudden?_

_“Nessa…?? What happened here?”_

_“I...I don’t know...I saw them...hhgh...floating out there...they weren’t breathing…!”_

You heard a cart roll up and you were soon placed upon the soft mat upon it and whisked away somewhere else. Two more doors were pushed open, so you could only assume you were being taken to a backroom for treatment. 

The next couple of...instances were nothing but a blur to you.

You were in and out of consciousness so much that you lost track of the amount of time that passed since you arrived at the clinic. You could only remember a few things, mostly from what you’ve heard and felt. You were pricked with needles a couple of times, submerged in more water, had an oxygen mask around your nose and mouth...But there were a few things that stuck out to you the most. Namely, what the nurses were saying amongst one another.

_“Species?”_

_“Drizzile. Water type. Female.”_

_“Does she have a Trainer ID number?”_

_“None. She must be wild.”_

_“Bloodwork just came back. We found an...alarming amount of neurotoxins in her bloodstream. That would explain the paralysis.”_

_“Any possible causes?”_

_“My only guess is that she had a nasty run in with a Tentacruel or Toxapex but...it’s...really strange how she ended up all the way here in Hulbury’s harbor…”_

Drizzile? Water type? You were very much a human being and even the blind would be able to know that much! But...what was that about neurotoxins? Were you poisoned? By what, and better yet, _why_? You certainly don’t remember going for a swim in Tentacruel or Toxapex infested waters before now! In fact you...you didn’t remember anything that’s happened to you up until now. 

No, that couldn’t be right. You did remember...you _had_ to remember, or else how were you going to get these people on the right track as far as properly helping you? Firstly, you definitely weren’t a Drizzile. You’re a human, and your name was...your name...goddammit, how could you forget your own name?! No matter how hard you searched through your memory, you couldn’t remember a thing about yourself. Your name, where you came from, your occupation, friends, family...it was completely blank. It was as if your memory was completely wiped except remembering that you were a human. But how? How could this happen…?

More time passes. How much, you didn’t know. But you were in the clinic for the entirety of that time, coming in and out of consciousness as you were administered various treatments to counter the toxins that were in your body. It felt like forever, but...somehow, eventually, you began to recover, albeit slowly.

You felt your strength steadily return over time; You were still very weak and felt ill, but you regained enough strength to finally open your eyes with enough effort. They fluttered open, only to be greeted with the harsh light overhead that stung your eyes. You blinked several times, your vision blurry but gradually coming into focus. The first thing you saw was that you were in a glass chamber, half submerged in medicated water. There was an IV in your arm as well as several other wires hooked up to machines to monitor your vitals. The oxygen mask had been removed some time ago, perhaps because your condition improved enough to where you no longer needed it. Your room was empty, the steady and rhythmic beeping of one of the machines and the ticking clock was the only noise to grace your ears.

It was then that you started to notice your reflection in the glass that made you frown. Your face..was no longer your own. It was blue all over save for the patches of green and navy on your eyelids and cheeks. Your hair was gone, replaced with navy and purple...fins? The way they hung over your eye reminded you of those scene kids you’d frequently see mulling about. You reached towards your reflection, but your usual five-fingered hand was gone, and instead replaced with a webbed mittened paw. You assumed this was what a Drizzile was, given you had never seen nor heard of such a Pokemon before these events transpired. But...despite you wanting to believe otherwise, you couldn’t deny the concrete proof in front of you. Somehow, you had become a Pokemon. How or why, however, was a complete mystery to you. At least you had something to do when you finally got out of the clinic, at least.

You were pulled out of your thoughts when the door to your room creaked open, the nurse and her assistant - another Pokemon you were unfamiliar with - stepped in. She looked you over with mild surprise and relief, immediately moving closer to your enclosure. “Oh thank goodness! You’re awake!”

She pressed a couple of buttons on the panel, the water draining and the glass lifting and exposing you to the cool air of your room for the first time. The nurse did a standard checkup, checking your blood pressure, temperature, and even drawing some more blood for testing. Likely to check for any more traces of the poison in your body. “You gave us quite the scare, you know. It was pretty touch-and-go for a while, but you were brought in just in time to administer the proper antidotes.” Why she was talking to you, you did not know, especially since she was aware that she wouldn’t be able to understand a word you say in your current state.

She and her assistant fiddled with the machines some more and gathering their readings, both seemingly satisfied before the nurse looked to you again.

“How did you end up in the harbor, anyway?”

 _Your guess is as good as mine,_ you thought, pressing your lips into a thin line before you simply shrugged. The nurse understood, and only went on to document your test results. 

“Ah, well, that’s okay. The important thing now is that you’re safe and on your way to a smooth recovery.”

Because your condition had improved significantly, you were moved out of the ICU and into another enclosure, one specifically made for water types. The enclosure itself was really an artificial pond that allowed the nurses and doctors to monitor the Pokemon without disturbing them as often. But because you were poisoned, you were still quarantined from the other Pokemon present until your blood work came back,, so you got a pond all to yourself. Which would have been great if you weren’t a human trapped in a Pokemon’s body. You would have preferred a proper hospital room, or even the room you were moved from, but you couldn’t talk. Your only option was to go along with this until you got some answers.

You were left to your own devices while your appointed nurse went to attend to the other Pokemon, leaving you to stare into the pond’s water blankly. The hell you were going to do once you were released from the clinic? Where could you even go? How would you find anyone who knew you before now? And if you did, how would you even tell them that this wild Drizzile was the person they knew beforehand? You couldn’t talk - any noise you made from your mouth was usually reptilian trilling and chittering. You could write it out? On what? You couldn’t go into the nearest shop and purchase a notebook and pen in your current body. And then there was the fact that trainers may try to capture you under the impression you were a wild Pokemon. Which...you technically were, but there was a human’s mind inside the body. And you had no idea how to defend yourself or use any of your abilities.

You groaned loudly and allowed yourself to sink into the pond; Out of instinct you held your breath for a moment, and then remembered that you could breathe underwater and let yourself drift into the aquatic vegetation. Despite what happened, you felt...comfortable in the water and began to swim a bit. Perhaps it was the natural instincts of your body taking over? Or maybe you were actually a Swimmer before you became what you are? Is that why you were turned into a water type? And that only brought back the original question of _why_. Why were you transformed into a Pokemon in the first place?

You released an audible groan, which emerged in the form of several air bubbles rising to the surface. Too many questions and not a single answer in sight, and you weren’t going to waste your time trying to decipher a mystery when you didn’t have a single clue to go off of. Your only option was to simply go along with this until you were released; You didn’t fancy wandering without a destination, but you did enjoy travelling. You only hoped you’d be able to find the person or thing responsible for this and - hopefully - reverse it. 

But hey, this wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to you, as far as you were concerned.


	2. Release

Your time in the Pokemon Center was comparable to a standard hospital stay with some slight differences. While you were given a bigger room to roam about at your leisure, you couldn’t help but to be dreadfully  _ bored _ . You run out of things to do pretty quickly when it’s not pertaining to swimming, learning how your body works or trying to shoot water from your paws. You wished you had a phone or telly or literally _ anything  _ to distract you from the mundane day-to-day and the fact time was a lot slower when you had nothing to do. Fortunately your nurse’s assistant, whom you learned was an Indeedee, was able to pick up on your desire for distractions and was able to get a few toys into your enclosure to entertain yourself with. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. You were surprised in regards to your meals, however; You had expected some very nasty Pokemon food, but you were instead given low calorie curry regularly. It was bland to say the least, but it was to be expected from hospital food. But in all honesty, you preferred bland curry over Pokemon pellets.You don’t think you’d be able to stomach those.

You remained in the clinic for another three days before you were officially confirmed to be free of poison and given a clean bill of health. The nurse who treated you also took the liberty to call Nessa - Hulbury’s Gym Leader and the one who rescued you - and let her know you were being released. You were being brought out via a stretcher with Nessa already waiting for you in the lobby. She immediately bounded towards you with a bright smile; This was the first time you have ever seen the woman, and you couldn’t help but to be floored. She was beautiful. Stunning even, and you found yourself staring at her as she kneeled in front of you.   
  
“There you are! You gave us a bit of a fright, didn’t you?” She chuckled, ruffling your fin-hair before looking to the nurse. “Is she alright then?”

“She is! We were going to release her, but I take it you’ll take care of it?”   
  
Her reply would come in the form of Nessa plucking you up from the stretcher and into her arms. Usually you would protest something so demeaning, but you only let it slide because Nessa was the one who saved your life.

“You can leave this little one to me, Missus. I’ll make sure she’s put far away from those nasty Tentacruel.”

“Good! And you…” The nurse bent over in front of you, poking your snout. “No more swimming in dangerous waters.”

You scrunched up your nose and sniffed several times, mumbling something incoherent under your breath. Not that they’d be able to understand you regardless. The clinic staff bid you and Nessa a farewell as you were carried out of the clinic and back into the outside world. You were carried down a rather curved walkway before she finally set you down in front of the marketplace’s entrance.

“Well now! I think this is far enough...you’ll be alright on your own, then?” She asked. 

Honestly, you weren’t sure. You had no real idea where to go or what to do next; you were a clueless and lost nobody trapped in a Pokemon with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Of course, you couldn’t tell Nessa that, even if you could. Instead you simply nodded and made another trilling noise. Nessa seemingly understood and nodded with a smile, her gaze going further down the road. “Right then. That’s good to hear. I would take you home myself, but I get the feeling you’d much rather keep your freedom.”

She gave you a rather affectionate pat on your head. “You be safe out there, yea? Hate to see anything else happen to you.”

You only trilled softly as she removed her hand, prompting you to say goodbye to the Gym Leader and bound towards the other way out of the harbor town, which was Galar Mine No.2. The closer you got, the heavier the scent of moisture greeted your nostrils, which meant this had to be an oceanic cave. It made sense, given it was right next to the sea, but the water Pokemon in you was happy to be near some water again. Maybe you’d take a dip in one of the cave pools along the way! And you’d swim for a little bit, maybe fish up some snacks and...

You paused.

Those thoughts...they weren’t your own. They were the product of this body you inhabited now. The primal instincts began to surface as you drew closer to its natural habitat, and it didn’t help that you were standing right in front of the mine’s entrance. You propped yourself up on your hind legs and peered inside - it was dark save for the various luminescent rocks that lined the walls and ceilings. You could hear the various cries of various Pokemon inside, as well as hearing the telltale noise of running water further inside. You released a small sigh as you allowed yourself to fall back down on your forearms. No point in hesitating now...you had a mystery to solve. How were you going to solve it? Well...you’d figure that out along the way.

The cool damp was a refreshing change from the direct sun as you crawled through the mine. There was a naturally made pathway made from constant traffic through it from trainers and Pokemon alike, meaning finding the way out wouldn’t be hard at all. What worried you the most, however, were the other wild Pokemon.

While it was still unclear if you were a trainer back in your previous life or not, you were well aware of how some Pokemon would attack travellers out of the blue. Most of the time they were just curious about someone walking through their territory and would approach to inspect rather than battle. And then there were others who would outright chase trainers for several meters until they either gave up or forced to battle the aggressive creatures to either catch or just to get away from them. However, that was just based on behavior shown towards humans - you weren’t sure how other wild Pokemon would react to another one, but you were sure you’ve seen them mulling about just fine with other species…

You were pulled out of your thoughts when you noticed several shapes just ahead of you. Upon getting closer, you realized that it was a small group of Pokemon shifting through what looked to be a battered up backpack. There were three from what you could see; a Croagunk, Shuckle and Scrafty. You were apprehensive about approaching them and opted to look for a way around them...until your presence was called out by Shuckle.

“Oy, Boss, we got company.”

At first you were unnerved by the fact that a Pokemon was talking, until you remembered that you were also a Pokemon, so it was natural that you would be able to understand what they were saying. What you didn’t like, however, was the fact that the three of them were now looking at you, causing your body to tense with apprehension. You were so sure that you were going to have to fight your way through them, and somehow the Scrafty seemed to pick up on this as he raised his paw. “Oy luv, relax. We ain’t gonna cause ya any trouble.”

You released a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, a wave of relief washing over you as you decided to move closer. Scrafty, you noticed, was a bit larger from a standard one, and had a scar over his eye and chest as well as some of his crest chipped in several places. You could tell why he was called the boss - anyone, human or Pokemon, who’s seen that many battles was sure to earn the respect of his peers, as well as have the authority to do so. “You alright there? Ya look a bit lost.”

“Ah...well...that’s because I am, actually.” You murmured, finally able to find your voice now. It was nice to actually talk to someone again.

“Where’re ya headed?”

“Through here. Not sure where it leads, though…”

“Yea?” He dug through the bag some more, before pulling out a bag of mixed mushrooms which was immediately snatched by Shuckle. “Yer accent’s...different. Yer not from around here, are ya, luv?” 

You shook your head. “I...hit my head a while back and lost most of my memories. I’m trying to retrace my steps to see if it triggers anything.” It wasn’t the exact truth, but not far from it either. Besides, you weren’t sure how these Pokemon would take you trying to explain that you were once a human and trying to figure out what the hell happened to you. But...he did provide you with a clue; Your accent wasn’t like that of the other inhabitants of this region, meaning that you weren’t a native here. But if you weren’t from here, then where?

Fortunately, Scrafty bought it. “Well, you’re goin’ in the right direction. Keep headin’ through the tunnel and you’ll be outside. There’s a city nearby...Motostoke? Good place to lay low for a bit.”

He pulled out a packet that had a precooked burger in it, causing him to grunt before tossing the backpack aside. You began to wonder if this Scrafty mugged someone before you came. “I ain’t too chuffed ‘bout humans. Troublesome lot. Make a lot of noise. Had to take care of a pair of blokes before you just now. But I make exceptions for other Pokemon, so I’ll let ya go without trouble. You jus’ be careful in here - the Stunfisk here don’t discriminate on who or what they wanna take a bite out of. So watch where you walk, aye?”

“I will, thank you very much.”

“‘Course! Our kind oughta stick together, yea? Remember that.”

That last remark made her blink in surprise, but in hindsight that made a lot of sense. She knew many species of Pokemon were solitary and even aggressive, but perhaps that was because those Pokemon and others had a mutual agreement of sorts. After all, humans only understood very little about Pokemon as a whole - there was most likely so much more going on that they don’t even see. Still, you took Scrafty’s warning to heart and headed further into the mine. 

It didn’t take you long before you began to understand Scrafty’s warning; there were suspicious Pokeball-looking protrusions sticking out of the ground that made you squint at it. As a test, you picked up a rock and tossed it at the odd thing, only for a dark metal jaw to snap at the rock and crushed it to pebbles. The rock-crusher revealed to be a Stunfisk, a Galarian variant at that. It gave you a dirty look before it buried itself into the cavern floor again to wait for its prey...or possibly you if you got too close. You made sure to steer  _ very _ clear of that area.

You had traversed through the tunnel for a good hour or more, making sure to maneuver around the Stunfisk lying in wait under your feet before you began to see light coming in from the other end of the tunnel just some odd meters ahead of you. Releasing a small sigh of relief, you immediately bounded towards it, the darkness of the cave soon morphing into the soft light of the outside world. There was a route before the brick and steam-themed city just a few yards ahead, but most of that distance came in the form of a long stone bridge that led straight into the city. Motostoke was impressive, even from a distance, but nothing about the city triggered anything within your memory. Still, it was better than nothing, so you began to meander towards the bridge whilst avoiding the tall grass. You didn’t need to for obvious reasons, but the human in you was telling you not to. Not that it really mattered.

You were in front of the bridge when you noticed a pair of teenage boys sitting on the railing of the bridge, overlooking the Wild Area below. They were trainers from the looks of it - you heard them talk about things such as a gym challenge, Pokemon they wished to catch and preferred natures...but it was mostly in passing. Until you heard one of them say something about a strong Scrafty kicking his ass to the curb and taking his backpack as a consolation prize. Were these kids the pair of humans that alpha Scrafty beat up and robbed? You didn’t bother to stick around to find out and opted to continue on your way.

“Yooo! Dude, lookit that!” One of the boys nudged the other and pointed at you, a glint in their eyes that made you...uncomfortable for some reason. “It’s a Drizzile! A legit one!”

Something told you to high tail it out of there, and you began to bound down the bridge, but the boys were quicker and blocked your path. You were immediately on edge, watching cautiously as the first boy took out his Rotom phone, the camera scanning you while the other boy looked a bit skeptical. “You sure this one ain’t lost? You don’t see a Drizzile in these parts without a trainer.”

“Well it must be my lucky day, cuz it’s wild. And a female too! Sweet!” The first boy grinned. “I mean, I’d rather have an Inteleon, but a few Exp Candies will fix that later.” He then rummaged through his bag, pulling out a Net Ball in one hand and a Great Ball in the other. “For now, this one has a date with a Ditto waiting at the Nursery. Need to get a headstart so I can get a shiny Sobble.”

Okay,  _ no _ .

There was no way in hell you were going to become this little shit’s egg factory for a shiny, and you weren’t going to give neither of them a chance to attempt capture. You propelled yourself forward into a sprint, the kid yelling at you to stop before you heard both of them chasing after you. Motostoke seemed so far all of a sudden, and the bridge didn’t have any turns for you to take advantage of to get them off your trail. And when you began to consider jumping off the bridge, you heard a Pokeball open and felt the energy of another Pokemon materializing behind you.

“Amp! Electroweb!”

You had no time to comprehend what was happening before you felt something envelop your body and send you flying a few feet before landing harshly on the stone pavement. Surges of electricity immediately went through your body and caused your muscles to seize and prevent you from moving. Gritting your teeth, you saw that an electrified spiderweb had you pinned to the ground, shocking you repeatedly to the point you were sure you were paralyzed. You saw the silhouette of a Galvantula crawling over out of the corner of your eye, their feelers twitching as they inspected their catch.

“Nothin’ personal, dearie. Master’s orders.” You heard the the arachnid say as you can hear the two boys slowing their sprint, seeing that you were going anywhere soon.

“Good job, Amp! Almost thought we’d lose her.” The kid spoke as he readied to toss the Net Ball. “Make sure she doesn’t escape, ‘kay?”

You growled as you did your damndest to fight through the paralysis, a water bubble forming in your paw unbeknownst to you. At first. You were able to catch a glimpse of the Net Ball hurtling towards you before you sent that bubble at it, which not only sent it flying in the opposite direction in a watery explosion, but it also broke the webbing stuck against you. The teen yelled a curse as you took advantage of your newfound freedom to booked it towards Motostoke, which was now right in front of you after your short run. Fortunately, Galvantula didn’t even attempt to stop you, as if she was allowing you to run to freedom. Adrenaline took over as you didn’t bother to look back to see if the boys were chasing after you as your sole focus was to lose them in the city, but you could hear them running behind you. You weaved through the people walking through the streets, the city itself a blur as you gained tunnel vision. After nearly leaping down an entire flight of stairs, you spotted an aqueduct over a small bridge. And without a second thought, you leapt over the railing and into the artificial river below, which was deep enough for you to swim some ways down and out of sight.

You remained underwater, staring up at the surface and able to see the two boys scanning the water desperately for any signs of you. By now you were  _ very _ thankful that you were a water type as the boys kept looking for a couple of minutes, even casting a fishing line down several times and only catching the Magikarp that swam by. But it was enough to discourage the boys in their pursuit as they left in a huff, soon vanishing from your view. However, you weren’t all that convinced they were really gone, so you swam a few feet away from the bridge before your head broke the surface. You scanned that bridge for any indication that they were still there, but after sitting and waiting for a while, you realized that the boys had given up and were truly gone.

You looked around your new surroundings, noting that the sky had turned a vibrant hue of orange as the sun began to set. You started to swim further down the aqueduct, deciding it was better to find a place out of sight to spend the night.


	3. Crossing Paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie - I had fun writing the first portion of this.

It was almost agonizing waiting for the gym challenge to come to a close, but being able to perform at the closing ceremony after the new Champion was crowned was exhilarating. The band had been getting very antsy over the fact that they couldn’t tour during the challenge, and it was difficult for the roadies to keep the band members entertained for those long weeks. Performing one of their popular songs at the ceremony was a relief for everyone, as it was the only thing that was able to scratch that desperate itch they all had.

Of course, that relief was short lived.

What they hadn’t realized was that the band’s fans were incredibly thirsty for another tour as the band itself had gone on a year-long hiatus to not exhaust them on back-to-back tours and performances prior. Fortunately their agent, Ms. Aria, was a kind one and didn’t see the members as just money makers, and was well aware of their needs and health, but even she couldn’t deny that the upcoming prep to get them back on the road was going to be a stressful one. 

Case and point as she trudged her way up to their penthouse suite and was almost run over by several assistants and roadies trying to hurriedly pack up the equipment on the bus to remain on schedule. She was only grateful that she wasn’t climbing any stairs when she was almost decapitated by a swinging mic stand on her way there. Aria huffed as she - carefully - continued to the band’s suite, using the only spare key to enter the apartment. The living room was empty save for the empty pizza boxes and Soda Pop bottles piled up on the coffee table and various articles of clothing strewn on the furniture and floor. With a sigh she went straight towards the one door that was facing the hallway’s entrance. 

“Roxas! Get up, we’re going to be late!” She hurriedly rapped on the door and leaned against the wall to wait, but soon heard movement on the other side...followed by some murmuring and a feminine voice that obviously shouldn’t be in there. Frowning, Aria leaned in closer to hear what was going on in there, only for her to jump as the door swung open revealing two rather disheveled Pokemon. When it should have only been one.

A Salazzle slinked her way past Aria whilst waving back at the Amped Toxtricity in a sultry manner with a loving grin across her snout before she sashayed her way out of the suite. The pair watched her exit the penthouse, Aria immediately turning towards the other Pokemon with an arched brow, which made him wince.

“Really dude?” She said simply, which made Roxas rub the back of his head while murmuring something under his breath. “I know I said I didn’t judge, but didn’t you just break up with a girl last week?”

He only shrugged before shutting the door, not wanting Aria to see the “mess” the pair of them made. “Well, nevermind that. Get the others up and head downstairs - you’ll have to shower and eat on the bus. It’s a long way from Wyndon to Motostoke, so you have time.”

Roxas was half listening, at least until he heard the word “shower.” He made a face at the woman, who only gave him a look. “I can smell the sweat, sex and shame all over you. ...Well, not sure about shame, but definitely the other two. So shower, and I mean it. Last thing we need is a horde of horny female Pokemon tryin’ ta jump you like last time. We’ll be waiting at the bus.”

Aria quickly departed from the suite to assist with the last minute prep, Roxas releasing a small groan as he rubbed the back of his neck and headed down the hall to the other rooms. The first one he came across was the one his band-brother inhabited, the name “Axel” sloppily scribbled in blue marker on the wood. Grinning, he jogged over to the door and, with a swift wound up, kicked the door with enough force that it shook the entire suit and almost knocked the door right off its hinges. He only had to wait for a few moments before the door creaked open and revealed another, but very groggy, Toxtricity. The Low Key form this time. He blinked slowly, glancing at the door, and then at Roxas.

“Was that necessary.” He deadpanned.

“Very.” Roxas cackled as the other stepped out of the room fully with a yawn. “Mum says we’re due downstairs.”

“Right.”

Axel trudged over to the next room, not even bothering with the former courtesy of knocking and simply walked in. Roxas, knowing what was coming next, hid himself around the nearest corner and simply watched, snickering with anticipation. He wouldn’t have to wait much longer, as a shriek echoed through the suite.

“Axel, what the _fuck?!_ ”

“We gotta go downstairs.”

_“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”_

Laughing, Axel ran out of the room with an enraged Obstagoon on his tail. Dark energy surrounded her claws as she swiped at the blue and purple Pokemon, who swiftly ducked and exchanged a high five with Roxas whilst running by. Growling, the Obstagoon, named Onyx, sneered at the pair whilst snatching an empty Soda Pop bottle and chucked it at Axel, who ducked behind the couch as it sailed under him and shattered against the wall.

“Ya _pissant_.” She spat with a growl. “Ever heard of knockin’, ya fucker?”

“Nope!” Axel chirped, Onyx only huffing at the remark. She prepared to make another comment until a low rumbling sniff drew their attention as the final member of the Maximizers lumbered into the living room.

“What’s with all the fuckin' noise?” The towering Rillaboom grumbled sleepily. “All of Wyndon probably heard you lot!”

“Sorry J,” Roxas grinned with a small wave. “But Mum says we gotta head out. Bus’s waitin’ out front.”

Jules only released a grunt of acknowledgement as he took his favorite wooden drum from its spot and placed it on his back and kept going out the door without another word. This prompted the others to follow suit right behind him, leaving their mess to be the maid’s problem.

By now the rest of the staff had successfully loaded the bus with the needed equipment along with some accommodations for everyone that would be travelling with the musicians. The band itself boarded their rather lofty tour bus, with Aria sending Roxas a look that he knew too well as he immediately scurried to the back to finally wash away the hormonal residue from the night before. It was something to be expected of Roxas at this point as his fellow band members were all too familiar with his many…”nightly guests.” They were mostly flings; quick, fleeting and fueled by lust mixed with physical attraction. They never lasted long, no more than a week or two at most and ending with a mutual split. There were a few times where he made the mistake to sleep with a fan or two; those breakups were the most entertaining despite being messy and, even embarrassing at times. Many females didn’t want to let go of their chance to live out their fantasies of being romantically involved a celebrity, and those breakups usually consisted with either Roxas trying - and failing - to console a heartbroken lass or him fleeing in terror from the female herself while yelling curses at him. Those were the most fun to watch. It had gotten to the point where Axel, Jules and Onyx were placing bets to see how long his flings lasted. So far, Onyx has remained undefeated in her predictions, much to Axel and Jules’ chagrin.

The four of them quickly settled during the ride to Motostoke as they watched the world react to the news of the band going back on tour on the telly; Their opening performance would be held at Motostoke Stadium later on that evening, even though tickets for said concert were almost sold out. Roxas smirked as he watched a growing crowd of People and Pokemon behind the newsman all cheering loudly and holding up various signs and memorabilia behind him. He knew there would be a horde of fans waiting for them the moment they arrived at the steam and brick city, and couldn’t wait to relish in it. He _lived_ off of the shrill shrieks and proclamations of adoration from his female fanbase, although he just loved the attention in general, especially since he has been confirmed to be the fan favorite with the other three right behind him.

Roxas’ thoughts were interrupted when he was suddenly pelted with a flying pizza roll. Before he could seek out the guilty party, the couch sunk towards the right as Axel plopped down right next to him nursing a plateful of said snack. With his other hand he snatched the remote and switched the channel to a solid blue screen, getting an irritated growl from Roxas as he reached for the remote. “‘Ey…!”

“I wanna play Smash.” Axel murmured whilst keeping the remote from his kin’s reach. There was a small scuffle between them mostly consisting of Roxas futilely trying to snatch the remote from Axel’s paw, the latter keeping Roxas at bay with just his foot. Somehow, during the struggle, not a single pizza roll was spilt.

It wasn’t long before Roxas begrudgingly accepted defeat and fell back to his side of the couch, allowing Axel to set up the Nintendo Switch unhindered. Out of spite, he snatched a handful of pizza rolls and grabbed the other controller from the shelf. “Fine. But I’m playin’ too.”

“Sweet. I’d love to kick your ass. Again.”

Roxas scowled as his kin only gave him that infamous shit-eating grin as the game loaded up. “We’ll see about that. I’ll beat you at least once before we reach Motostoke!”

Upon hearing that, Jules and Onyx exchanged a knowing glance, coming to a silent but mutual agreement as they both placed $20 on the table and proceeded to watch the pair play. At least the ride to Motostoke wouldn’t be as dull as they initially believed.

**. . .**

Motostoke sure was busy today.

The city had a sudden burst of energy that morning that seemed to be contagious as you tried to maneuver your way through the streets. Both people and Pokemon were chattering excitedly amongst themselves about some sort of upcoming event...a concert of some kind, from what you gathered. People, you could understand why they were excited, but Pokemon too? Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for Pokemon to enjoy music like humans, but this was an entirely new level of a common interest. It took a little more wandering before you began to see some of the city workers put up displays on the stadium's walls advertising what looked to be a band up...that was entirely made of Pokemon?

Curious, you spotted a poster pinned up on one of the walls and inspected it closely. The band called themselves The Maximizers, with its members being an Obstagoon as the lead singer, both forms of Toxtricity wielding an electric guitar and bass, and a Rillaboom on the drums. But what caught your attention was the fact “back on tour” was written under the initial image. Not only that, but apparently they were having an opening concert to celebrate them back on the road, and that very concert was being held at Motostoke Stadium. No wonder the entire city was going nuts, and it would also explain the growing crowd gathering in front of the stadium itself holding up signs with each member’s portrait on it with various phrases of adoration.

Still. None of this was any of your concern right now. Under any other circumstance you would have been glad to hang around and maybe see the concert, but you still had to figure out what happened to you and why you had a heavy case of amnesia. Although, now that you thought about it, it was a bit strange; A part of you hoped that, perhaps the band itself would jog your memory. Even if you were from a different region originally, you ended up here in Galar, meaning you’ve had to have seen or heard of the band at least once during your time here, but...Perhaps there was much more to this mystery than you initially anticipated. You’d just have to take your search elsewhere.

You prepared to leave, only to lurch forward somewhat as you felt a sharp pain in your stomach. It rumbled right afterwards, and it was then that you realized that you hadn’t eaten anything ever since you left the Pokemon Center. Now you had a new problem on your hands...and this one didn’t have an immediate solution. What were you going to do for food? You weren’t keen on eating anything out of the dirty aqueducts as you knew the water was polluted with who knows what, nor could you just go into the nearest restaurant and buy a meal given you didn’t have a cent to your name. Stealing was also out of the question...for now. Survival was your top priority, and people were a little more lenient towards Pokemon when it came to stealing food. So your only option was to go out to the Wild Area and forage for some berries or proper fish. That should be easy enough.

A sudden cry caused you to pause in your pursuit for a meal, the crowd in front of the stadium splitting as a large extravagant bus pulled up in front of the stadium. The crowd’s cheers and yells soon died down to excited and hush murmurs as the door swung open, the crowd suddenly erupting into louder cheers than before as each of the band members stepped out of the bus. It would have been fine...had it not been for the fact that you could hear... _certain_ things the Pokemon in the crowd were shouting.

“ROAXAAAAAAS!”

“Axel, Axel! Let me have your babies!”

“Step on me, Onyx!”

“Notice me, J-Daddy!”

Okay, yep, it was _definitely_ time to go.

“Fuck’s sake...and I thought people were weird…” You shuddered, starting to turn and head to the other lift until you were forcibly grabbed by the nape of your neck. A scream hitched in your throat as you started to struggle, pausing upon seeing that your captor was the same kid from the other day. You felt your heart sink as his hold tightened and making you to yelp with pain.

“Shut up.” He sneered at you, clearly still pissed that you eluded capture. That was a good sign. “If you weren’t needed, I wouldn’t even waste my time with a little bitch like you!”

You unfurled your tail and smacked the kid in the hip with enough force to make him lurch to the side a bit, but it didn’t lessen his grip any. In fact it only pissed him off more as he slammed you into the concrete, one hand pinning your head while his knee dug into your thigh. 

“You’re _really_ pisisn’ me off, you little…!” He cut himself off with a growl as he quickly dug through his pack for a Pokeball. You weren’t going to take a chance on trying to wiggle free as he had you pinned, and instead, you raised your head just enough to get your mouth off the ground.

And yelled.

“I said _shut up_!” The boy scowled before shoving your face back into the pavement. “When I capture you I swear--”

He trailed off and the weight on your body shifted somewhat. It was around this time that you noticed that the noise from the crowd had become...eerily silent. Confused, you pushed yourself against his hold to look up, only to see the Maximizers themselves standing just a few feet in front of you. There were a couple of people from the crowd as well, looking on in confusion and disgust. Of course, the kid got defensive and attempted to dissuade the crowd. “Wh-what? This is my Pokemon!”

“Bullshit!” You hissed through gritted teeth and immediately started struggling again. You knew the other humans didn’t understand you, but your behavior would do the talking for you.

“You sure about that?” An older woman challenged with a raised brow. 

“Yea! J-jus’ shove off! She’s jus’ bein’ a brat!”

You started squirming more, prompting one of the Toxtricity to step forward until the Rillaboom held him back. The towering grass type looked to the boy, then at you. “Oy love, is this kid really yours?”

“No.”

That was all he needed to hear.

Jules reached behind him and set his drum down and striking it once, the reverberation causing a vine to emerge from the ground behind the boy. Before either of you could react, the vine wrapped itself around his leg and lifted him in the air. He yelled out in terror before the drum was struck again, the vine reacting by tossing him into the nearby aqueduct. This got a few laughs and a round of applause from the crowd as Obstagoon helped you back on your feet.

“Did he hurt you?” She asked, but you didn’t reply right away. She got her answer in the form of a pained wince as you attempted to put weight on the leg he had pinned. “Okaaaay, you’re comin’ with us.”

“But I don’t want to bother you--” you started to say, only to be swept up by Jules and placed on his back to ride on.

“Can’t be a bother if we’re offerin’, love.” He chuckled while already lumbering towards the hotel before you could protest any further. While you didn’t like the idea of your own search being hindered by another roadblock, you also happen to catch a glimpse of the teen climbing out of the aqueduct, soaked and undoubtedly fuming.

On second thought, maybe it _would_ be a better idea to hang around with the band for a little longer. 


	4. Adopted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your journey - and possibly life - takes a pleasant turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know people believe I got Axel and Roxas' names from Kingdom Hearts, but I didn't. I couldn't think of any better punk rocker names that weren't typical or done before, so I went with those two.
> 
> Sorry for the filler in this one, but I didn't want to make the chapter too long. Besides, it's setting up for what's to come.

Not once in your life have you ever believed you’d be staying with a famous band. But you never thought you would wake up as a Pokemon with a severe case of amnesia, either. Your life got a lot cazier ever since you turned into a Drizzile, you realized.

Your leg was treated once you were in the safety of the hotel; the band’s overseer - having been a former trainer herself - was quick to administer first aid in the form of a few spritz from a Full Restore. You were fine with leaving once you were healed up, but both the band members and even the staff insisted that you stay with them since it was confirmed that the kid harassing you actually lived in the city. And you’d rather not take a chance in crossing paths with him ever again. On the plus side, the band and their respective staff were nice.

The band were going to stay in the city for another day or two after the concert, mostly for meet-n’-greets with fans and to sell various merchandise ranging from t-shirts to posters and everything in between. You had attended the concert the following night out of curiosity - you were given the option to stay in your room until the show ended, but even with the various entertainment set up in the lofty rooms, the previous attack made you uneasy and you’d rather not be alone anytime soon. In the end, you did enjoy yourself more than you thought you would! You began to understand the band’s appeal when you saw them perform for yourself, as even you began to cheer with the crowd during the performance. Needless to say, it was the most fun you’ve had in a long time.

You didn’t see much of the band afterwards as they were immediately swept up by their fans to sign autographs and take pictures. It was hectic given the eagerness of the fans wanting to meet their favorite band members, and you opted to assist the other staff by setting up the merch stands and passing out shirts and posters. Your new body enabled you to be more nimble and allowed you to maneuver around the crowd without bumping into other people or tripping over yourself. It was clear your help was appreciated, even to the point where some of the staffers joked and claimed that you were now officially a part of the team. You could sense that they meant it, however, and you couldn’t deny that - oddly enough - you felt at home working with these people. It was...almost natural, you realized. Maybe you  _ did _ work with them back when you were still a human? If that were true, however, you would have heard them speak of a former team member that went missing or left recently, but you heard nothing of it during your stay.

By the time the initial hype died down, everyone was so  exhausted that Aria had to extend the hotel stay for another day so everyone could properly rest before going back on the road. During that time, you got to know each of the band members a little more.

Onyx was the lead singer of the Maximizers, and for good reason. You never thought a Pokemon could carry such a voice on her, but then there was this Obstagoon who proved anything was possible. Outside of that, however, one could best describe her as your big tomboy sister who took boxing classes in her free time and won’t hesitate to pummel anyone who messes with her younger siblings and friends. And that was exactly her disposition, proven when it took the other members  _ and _ the staff to keep her from going after the kid and mauling him. She only stopped when you told her that he wasn’t worth it, and reassured her that you were fine. She conceded, albeit begrudgingly. Her relationship with the rest of the band could summed up simply as a sibling dynamic; Axel and Roxas were the younger brothers who loved messing with her and vice versa - there’s never not a time when she’s not chasing them down or yelling obscenities and curses at them after another one of their pranks. At the same time, she wouldn’t hesitate to get involved in their shenanigans if it meant a good laugh, and would absolutely bail them out of any trouble without question. And then scold them afterwards.

Roxas was the guitarist and even carried some personality traits one would associate with him just by appearance and profession alone. He radiated confidence that could easily be mistaken as arrogance or being full of himself and loved showing off his skills with his instrument, relishing in the attention of his fans and would often get them riled just to hear their cheers. Also a shameless flirt. Emphasis on  _ shameless _ . He favored the attention of females in particular and would purposely entice them just to get a female to fawn over him. This would more often than not backfire to where a staffer had to pry him out of the grabby paws of several groupies, much to his chagrin. He even made a few passes at you during your stay, which you quickly deflected and often ignored...which only fueled his need to get some sort of reaction from you and kept at it. Even still, he was the one who stepped forward when the kid had you pinned, and would have done who knows what to him had Jules not held him back. He doesn’t like showing his softer, more compassionate side and used his hardass persona as a front, but you could tell he was more than the stereotypical rockstar. Even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Axel was similar to his band-brother as far as personality went; while he shared similar traits as Roxas, they were more subdued. Which was to be expected from the bassist. He still had that air of overconfidence but had a much calmer in regards to disposition. Despite also loving the attention from their fans, he was more laid back and would prefer to play video games and raid the fridge for snacks. He especially loved provoking both Onyx and Roxas by being a bastard, but isn’t afraid to stand up for either of them if there was ever a need for it. Roxas was more brash in this regard, but Axel had a scarily calm intimidation that made folks think twice before messing with him.While they weren’t biologically related, he and Roxas shared a strong, inseparable bond that one could easily mistake them as being actual brothers. He was also usually the one with a scheme that would more often than not get them into trouble, but neither Toxtricity could resist raising a little hell before the day was over. At the very least, they kept things interesting from day to day.

And then there was Jules, or often referred to as J or Big J by everyone else. And for good reason; he was large, even for a Rillaboom. He was essentially the responsible oldest brother that had to look after his idiot siblings. Which he had to do regularly. He was always the one the band called upon whenever the other three got into some sort of trouble that they couldn’t get themselves out of. And while Jules would be annoyed to bail them out, he would still come to their aid in a heartbeat. He was also the one who often had to break up Axel and Roxas whenever they got into their little spats, or to keep Onyx from tearing the pair to shreds. He was also engaged in a friendly betting competition with the Obstagoon; Whenever they were presented with odds, they would bet on it and used money, food or anything else that could be exchanged. So far, she had a winning streak that had yet to be broken, and yet Jules kept betting with her despite the odds clearly not being in his favor. One would assume that he had a gambling problem from this, and you were willing to believe it. He was also the glue that held the band together; They were dysfunctional, but they were still a family. A weird, noisy family.

And somehow, you were going to be a part of it. You don’t know how, but it looked like you were being adopted into the band whether you wanted to or not. And you weren’t sure how to feel about that. This was made evident on their final day in Motostoke.

The staff were packing up the equipment while Aria checked out of the hotel and made reservations for their next stop in Hammerlocke. The band were beginning to board their bus as you stood outside of it awkwardly, unsure on what to do or where to go.

“‘Ey, you comin’ or just gonna stand there?”

Startled, you glance up only to see Axel looking at you with a raised brow. You rubbed the back of your neck whilst looking aside. “Ah, w-well...you guys still want me around?”

“Why wouldn’t we? You thought we’d jus’ leave ya here and piss off?”

“I guess?” He gave you a look, hopping back down the stairs and got behind you, nudging you up into the bus. “H-hey…!”

“It’s either this or I carry you.”

He flashed you his infamous shit-eating grin before nudging you into the bus fully, the doors closing behind him before you could protest. Pouting, you trudged over to the booth in the kitchen and took a seat, the other members settling down as the bus’ engines revved to life. You weren’t sure how you were going to search for your past now, nor if you were sure if you should disclose who you were to your new friends. Would they even believe such a tale?

“So, Drizzi!” Roxas sat down unceremoniously in the chair across from you with his cheek leaning into his palm, referring you as the nickname Aria gave you. “What’s yer story?”

Oh boy. You were dreading this. “Oh...um...I don’t really have one.” You fibbed. It wasn’t a blatant lie - can’t have a backstory if you didn’t remember it.

“C’mon, you don’t have’ta be shy! We don’t bite, unless you want us to.”

With a swift kick, Roxas’ chair was swept from under him where he tumbled to the floor. He glared at the culprit, who was none other than Axel, who had been walking by when he heard the remark. He muttered something under his breath as he climbed back into his chair, Onyx releasing a groan from the couch.

“Ignoring _that_ gross remark, Roxas’ right.” She added, glancing over at you. “We ain’t gonna judge ya if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

You pressed your lips into a thin line, debating on whether or not you should confide in them about your current troubles. It would have been nice to actually have someone to talk to about this...Maybe you could even ask for their help? But you didn’t want to disrupt their tour just so they could help some amnesiac stranger who they would think was crazy if they found out the truth. 

“Well I...it’s kinda weird.” You finally say whilst rubbing your arm. “You may not even believe me if I told you.”

“Try us.” Jules chimed in as you now had four sets of eyes on you and waiting for your answer. With the pressure piling on, you had no choice but to concede.

“...Okay, okay...well.” You paused again for a quick moment, pursing your lips before continuing. “I almost died a few days ago. Found myself unconscious and bare alive adrift in the ocean where I eventually washed up in Halbury’s harbor. The Gym Leader there, Nessa I think, she found me and took me to the Pokemon Center and spent a couple of days there. It may have been weeks...I honestly don’t remember...but. I somehow ended up getting poisoned by...something. I may have hit my head on something cuz now I don’t remember anything about myself. My name, where I came from...none of that. So I’ve just been...wandering around, hoping I’ll find something I’d recognize, or someone who may have known me.”

A moment of silence fell upon the bus before a soft whistle emanated from Axel. “Fuck...that’s rough.”

“No kiddin’.” Jules grunted whilst handing you a can of Lemonade. “Although, I gotta ask, love...are you, y’know, sure yer from here? I can’t help but to notice that you carry an accent I can’t recognize.” 

“I noticed that too.” Onyx added with a nod. “I didn’t want to say anything and end up being rude because I’m not a jackass like  _ some _ Pokemon.” She shot a look at Roxas, who only flipped her off in response.

“Well  _ I _ think your accent’s just fine.” Roxas added in an attempt to deflect Onyx’s last remark. “Makes ya...unique, y’know?”

“Point is,” Jules coughed “Regardless where you came from, you’re welcome to stay with us until you get yourself sorted. ‘Sides, it won’t feel right havin’ you wandering ‘round on your own. Especially after what happened before.”

You couldn’t agree more; it still felt weird being able to crash with a well known band, but you didn’t know where to go or where to look for your forgotten past. What was odd to you was that they were adamant on having you stay with them until you found out where you came from...if you ever find out. 

“Th-thanks…” you finally murmured, a smile tugging at your lips. “But...what if I don’t? I don’t want to just be mooching off of you guys…”

“Who said you were moochin’?” Jules frowned. “We’re offerin’ ya a place to stay. Plus, you proved you ain’t some freeloader after all the help you gave back at the stadium.”

You wanted to protest, but you couldn’t deny the amount of praise you got after you help the staff with the merch sales, even to the point they wanted to appoint you as an honorary member of the team. Not to mention how well you got along with the band members themselves. You could only sip at your Lemonade while whining softly, knowing you couldn’t argue.

“Here’s an idea - why not jus’ join the band?” Roxas suddenly asked, now leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table. “I figure it’s better than bein’ homeless an’ on the road all the time.”

“That’s...probably the best thing to ever come out of your mouth.” Onyx remarked after a pause, but sent you a grin. “But you should! C’mon, you’re practically one of us now! And you don’t have’ta play in the band with us to be a part of it!”

“We’ve been wanting to add another member anyway.” Axel added after chugging a Soda.

“And you’ll be  _ safe _ .” Jules emphasized. “We’ll figure out the details later, but I know Miss Aria would love to have ya aboard, too. If ya want to perform with us, great. If not, that’s great too - you have a place here whether you want to believe it or not.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but Roxas cut you off before you could even get a word out. “It’s not like you really got a choice now. I saw Mum addin’ you to the registry earlier, so you can’t say you can’t stay or that you don’t belong. Cuz now it’s documented.”

You were stunned. Are you sure you hadn’t actually died and crossed over to the next life? “That’s not fair.”

“Tough.” He flashed you a rather toothy grin, passing you a shiny new Rotom phone with a Mystic Water charm hanging from it. “Welcome to the Maximizers, luv.”


	5. The Lounge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a taste of the underground life of Pokemon.

There was absolutely no possible way you could deny being a part of the band now. Upon your arrival to Hammerlocke, you were greeted by Miss Aria herself who was ushering you all into the hotel before the fans could surround the band. She presented a custom made and fitted beanie with the Maximizers’ emblem stitched onto the side. “Surprise! I made it myself! I figured you’d want something to wear, too.”  
  
You took it and immediately put it on out of courtesy. You don’t know how, but it fit like a glove, and was soft too! You smiled wide at her and murmured a thanks - at least something of a thank you - causing the young woman’s face to brighten with glee. “Yay! I’m so glad...I was worried it wouldn’t fit. So glad to see it does!”

During check-in you also managed to catch a glimpse at Aria’s Rotom Pad; it had a list of all the known staff and the band members, with your name now amongst them. It looks like Roxas was right after all; this strange family somehow adopted you and there was nothing you could do about it. Not that you could complain.

You all settled into the hotel rather quickly, the band getting the more lofty rooms on the top floors. You were sharing a room with Onyx while Axel, Roxas and Jules shared a room that was just across the hall from yours. Since there was still a few more hours before their concert, you took the time to do a little research.

Once you had a moment alone, you used your new phone to run some quick searches on Google. “Recent disappearances,” “recent persons gone missing” and “missing women in Galar” yielded nothing that you hoped for, as it was mostly articles about teen runaways who were found weeks to months later having ran off to Spikemuth. You pursed your lips, webbed fingers hovering over the touchscreen as you contemplated entering another search, but you were desperate. Exhaling a breath, you entered “recent deaths in Galar” and ignored the weird look you know the Rotom inside the device was giving you. The results were mostly obituaries and news articles about fatal accidents or just unfortunate events. You scanned the various portraits hoping that you would recognize one. There was an alarming amount of people you sorted through, but you sorted through the females. Eventually you filtered out the ones that were similar to what happened to you; drownings and poisonings. Unfortunately none of the women listed were foreign - they were all local accidents that were covered on the news, and none of the women looked familiar to you.

You scrolled for another hour before you heaved a sigh and called it quits, and at the perfect moment at that as Onyx burst into the room carrying bags of takeout for the both of you. As much as you love a good burger, you would have rather had some fish and chips...you had an immense craving for fish lately and you couldn’t figure out why.

The concert took place in Hammerlocke Stadium some few hours later, and as expected, the entire stadium was packed with fans from the city itself and from neighboring towns to see the band perform. They played a few sets while you assisted the merchants with the booths and sales, the concert ending into the early hours of the night. After a small meet-n’-greet, it was back to the hotel once everything was packed up, and you were prepared to settle down for the night. What was odd, though, was that the band skipped dinner and went straight to their rooms, which prompted you to follow suit given you and Onyx shared one. You were curious, but didn’t want to pry and just summed it up that they were just too tired to eat. It would have been no more than an hour or so later when you found out why; You were idly flipping through the channels of the telly whilst Onyx was fiddling with her phone in one of the loveseats when she suddenly stood and went to the door, peering down the hall. Moments later, Axel and Roxas stepped into the room both wearing black leather jackets while Onyx put one of her own on. You raised a brow at that, especially when you saw Jules outside stepping out of their room with a vest on.

They saw your confused expression, Onyx being the first to speak up. “Ah fuck, forgot you’re new to this.” She chuckled. “Friday night’s our night out on the town - we go out every week. You can come with if ya want.”

“‘Course she does!” Roxas spoke before you could. “Bet’cha she doesn’t know about The Lounges.”

You made a face of confusion. “The what?” 

Roxas then held out his paw towards Axel, who grumbled under his breath as he dug into his pocket and slapped some crisp bills into the open palm. “The Lounges are special underground hangouts for Pokemon.” The former explained. “We’re headin’ to the one in Motostoke since we got a set there tonight.”

“You’re free to come, if you want. No pressure.” Axel added with a nonchalant shrug.

You paused and mulled over the proposition; while you weren’t too keen on going to a club, you couldn’t deny that you were incredibly intrigued about underground clubs only exclusive to Pokemon. They were obviously a secret, mostly away from the prying eyes of humans...but if they were made by Pokemon, what were they like? Were they similar to human clubs or entirely different? You _had_ to see this for yourself.

“I’m down.” You nod as you stood, tucking your phone under your hat. “But, hold on, wouldn’t Miss Aria know we’re gone?”

“She knows we go out every week.” Roxas dismissed as you were led out. “We jus’ want to make sure she never finds out _where_ we go. We keep these places a secret for a reason.”

Now you were _really_ intrigued. 

You decided to not ask to many questions and simply learn about the Lounge on your own. Your method of travel would be the train this time, which was admittedly quicker than the bus since it didn’t rely on the main roads. Because it was still early into the night, you worried about the band getting too much attention from the other humans...but to your surprise, they were much more subdued. While there were still some fans amongst the few wandering the night, the most they did were snap a few pictures of the band while you waited in the station and boarded the train. What you did notice, however, was that there were more Pokemon out as well. While this wasn’t terribly uncommon for Pokemon to emerge at night since many species are nocturnal, but what was strange was the fact both nocturnal and non-nocturnal Pokemon were also boarding the train to Motostoke. Were they heading to the same place…?

The ride back to the brick and steam city was moderately short, you releasing a silent breath of relief when you saw the station workers and night travellers paying the band little to no heed. You were back on the streets of Motostoke once again, the band guiding you down to the lower level of the city that was closer to the aqueduct until you ended up on one of the docks. You were confused for a bit, until you saw Axel reach for a rope that was dangling in the water; there was a small object attached at the end, which revealed to be a small bronze bell. He rang it once before tossing it back into the aqueduct where the rest of the band proceeded to wait. The wait itself wasn’t long at all, as soon you would see one of the platforms used to ferry storage units came drifting towards the dock. It was being ferried by a Quagsire, who regarded the band with a courteous nod and a smile once he was near.

“Evenin’.” The water type greeted you all as the band climbed onto the platform. “Anyone else accompanyin’ y’all tonight?”

“Just us plus one.” Jules replied as he hunkered down on the platform. “You know where we want to go.”

“Indeed, indeed…~”

Quagsire hopped back into the water, taking a chain hanging on the side and started pulling the platform up the aqueduct. The ride was silent and smooth as you were ferried towards the warehouses near the eastern side of the city. What you didn’t expect, however, was when the makeshift ferry made a turn into a tunnel that was directly under the city and otherwise hidden to the naked eye. Roxas noticed your surprised expression as he tilted his head further down the tunnel, prompting you to peer ahead. It was dark at first...until you started to see a faint glow of lights lining the wall. As you drifted closer, you realized that they were Chinchou perched up on the old worklights, using the bulbs on their antennae to light the way. You were in awe as your mouth hung open somewhat; upon seeing your reaction, Roxas only gave you a wink and pointed ahead.

The ride soon came to an end as the ferry came up to an alcove with a shutter door in the tunnel’s wall, where it stopped and the band climbed up on the walkway. Roxas was the first at the door, slamming the side of his fist into the metal and causing it to rattle loudly. A slot suddenly slid open as you were all met with the stern glare of a Throh from the other side; He looked over the band, before he released a grunt and closed the shutter, the door rising with another rattle as the Pokemon stood aside for you all to enter. “Welcome back, Maximizers.”

What you were met with was something obviously not meant for human eyes.

The Lounge was actually an abandoned warehouse that had been refurbished into what resembled a club. The large amount of space made it perfect to move in a variety of old furniture and materials to turn an otherwise empty space into a proper lounge. It had everything one would expect from a typical lounge; a bar, a stage for performances, tables with chairs or in booths, several VIP lounges and an upper floor. The building was dimly lit save for the Chinchou and Lanturn swimming through the tubes that weaved through the entire building. There was even a pool for water types to lounge in instead of the normal seats. The place was also packed, mostly full of local and visiting Pokemon from the city.

“So,” you heard Roxas’ voice, pulling you from your trance “whaddya think?”

“This place is awesome…!” You chirped, unable to keep your excitement hidden. “You guys come here often?”

“Only if we’re in the neighborhood.” Onyx explained as you moved deeper into the club. “We like to come at least every weekend if we’re able.”

“What do you guys do in here? Aside from your sets?” You asked further.

“Whatever we want, usually.” Came from Axel, who took the liberty of explaining further. “There are a total of three lounges in the entirely of Galar. We’re in one of them, the Ruby Lounge. Hammerlocke has the Diamond Lounge, and Wyndon has the Crystal Lounge.

“We ain’t the only ones who come here, either.” He continued. “Plenty of celebrity types visit the Lounges while they’re travelin’. It’s the one place where we can...y’know, be ourselves. Socialize with other Pokemon and just hang without humans always watchin’ us, y’know? Nothin’ against them, but we have specific needs and wants too.”

You slowly nodded in understanding; It was...strange to consider that Pokemon were very similar to humans in that regard. They mostly just considered them as creatures with amazing powers but were often just regarded as animals with varying levels of intelligence. But now...now you were truly seeing them in a new light. 

The band moved towards the stage, but there wasn’t a backstage area for you to hide away in this time. “Uh...do I wait down here or…?”

“Oh. You can just...do whatever until we finish.” Roxas shrugged as he adjusted his jacket as the other members headed for the stage. “We have a booth we sit at - we’ll text ya later.”

“N’alrighty.”

You watched the band hop up on stage, the atmosphere of the lounge immediately shifting as the other patrons’ attention were now on them. There was a round of applause that echoed through the building as the lights dimmed further and Axel and Roxas’ electrical instruments manifested into their paws. Their melody began to emanate through the building, and you were tempted to explore the club further...until you realized you were on your own...and you felt very, very lost. Still, you didn’t want to just stand in the middle of the floor like an idiot, so you moved towards the bar and propped yourself on one of the stools. 

“Heya new-face!” You jumped with a start, turning just to be face-to-face with a grinning Sneasel, who happened to be the one in charge of the bar. “You must be the Maximizers’ new member, huh? Drizzi, right?”

“Y-yeah...how’d you…?”

“News spreads fast, love.” She giggled, grabbing an empty glass from under the counter. “In places like this, everyone knows about everybody else. Plus, the lounge has a lot of regulars, so it’s easy to pick out a new face when they come along.” She prepared a beverage that was a mixture of Pecha and Cheri berry juice with two cubes of ice before sliding it your way. “Don’t worry about payment - newcomer’s get a drink on the house. Although I’ll cut ya a deal if you can get Axel to pay his fucking tab for once.”

That got a laugh out of you as you took a sip of your drink, quickly discovering that the juice was from berries that were in various stages of fermentation to give it its alcoholic taste. _That’s clever_ , you chuckled mentally, before you looked over the rest of the lounge with a curious glance.

“By the way,” Sneasel spoke up again after tending to another patron “I don’t wanna be nosy or offend ya or nothin’ but...are you an’ Roxas...y’know…?”

She made a motion with her claw that confused you for a moment, least until you caught on and immediately shook your head. “Oh, no! No, we just met, like...over a week ago. I don't do stuff like that.”

“Gotcha.” She nodded. “I had to ask cuz, uh…” She motioned you to come closer, which you obliged and she tilted her head up towards the second level. You quickly looked up with your eyes only, spotting a Salazzle that was getting a little too comfortable with a Haxorus for it to be considered platonic. “His latest…’escapade’s’ here too. She just called it off like, a coupla days ago, too. Worst part, is that he was the side dude.”

“Yeesh...” You winced, taking another sip while glancing at the stage. The band was still performing and had moved on to a different song now. Sneasel noticed your expression and opted to speak up again.

“Hey, don’t pass judgement too quickly. Roxas’ a good guy, he’s just guilty of a habit a lot of us in this scene are also guilty of.”

You arched a brow. “What, sex?”

“Unhealthy coping mechanisms.”

Well. That took a turn a little too quickly. While you were curious and a bit concerned as to what spurred on these methods of coping for the rockstar, you were also aware that you were still an outsider, and prying into his business would have been rude. “Well, aside from that, do other famous Pokemon visit this place?” You asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Oh, plenty!” Sneasel replied, seemingly just as eager to shift the conversation. “A lotta ‘em are here right now. Here, I’ll even give ya a quick rundown…”

You sat and listened intently to Sneasel’s little tour as she pointed out the various other celebrities that were currently present, all of whom had their own little cliques. Apparently everyone split up into their own groups; the actors, models, athletes and musicians. The ground floor of the lounge usually housed the athletes and musicians; The Maximizers were the main attraction for musicians while a Cinderace who was the reigning soccer champion and an undefeated Boltund racer were the representatives for the athletes. There were quite a few actors, actresses and models on the upper floors; a Tsareena was a well-known face who has starred in several movies and a Grimmsnarl who had major roles in plays and theatre performances. For the models there were two females and one male, a Lopunny and the Salazzle, the male being a Liepard. 

There were also numerous smaller but well known stars in each field as well, such as a duo consisting of a piano-playing male Indeedee and singing Gardevoir, rival wrestling tag teams with one team having a Gurrdurr and Hawlucha and the other an Infernape and Lucario. There were some up and coming film stars that consisted of a Hatterene, Alcremie and a Meowstic duo, a Gothitelle and Cinccino for theatre and musicals, and some small time models consisting of a Roserade and Milotic.

They all had their social circles, mostly due to the fact they had friends they hadn’t seen for a long time due to their work and used the Lounges to meet up again while they were in town. You had become so engrossed in the conversation that you hadn’t noticed the band had finished their set until you felt Axel tap your shoulder, prompting you to face him. “Hey Drizzi, we’re done if ya wanna hang.”

“Oh, sure.” You nodded, hopping off of the stool while Sneasel glared at the Toxtricity.

“Hey Ellie,” he only grinned.

“When are you gonna pay your tab, fucker?” She only spat at him. “You owe at least two weeks worth of drinks!”

“I’mma pay it.” He casually deflected whilst reaching for a bottle of booze, only for it to be snatched away.

“Well. Until you do, bar’s closed. At least for _you_.”

“Wha-?! Ellie, c’mon!”

“Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” She smirked triumphantly before she strode off to tend to the other bar goers, Axel releasing a defeated huff before he led you back to the booth the other band members were seated and enjoying drinks of their own.

“Onyyyyx, buy me a beer.” He whined, earning a side eye from the Obstagoon.

“What am I, your chaperone? Buy your own.” She only grunted.

“Can’t. Ellie won’t sell me any until I pay my tab.”

“Then pay your tab, dipshit.”

Axel then groaned loudly and unceremoniously let himself fall into the booth next the Roxas with a pout. The rest of the night went smoothly as you drank, talked and watched the other Pokemon perform who were due a set that night.

In the meantime, the Sneasel, Ellie, sighed as she walked out from behind the bar before calling out to a Raichu. “Jo, cover me for a bit. I’m gonna take 5.”

She earned a nod from her coworker before she headed up to the second floor of the lounge...and continued until she came to a door hidden behind a half wall that led to the third and final floor of the lounge. The “floor” was actually just a large balcony that could have easily been mistaken for a VIP area had it not been for the fact that it was outfitted for just a single person with a single table and only two chairs while having a full view of the lounge below. 

Ellie approached the table and hopped up on it, sitting on the edge and crossing her legs before regarding the only occupant of the balcony. “Hey, Boss. Did what you asked, and turns out you were right. They have the same scent.”

The occupant, who was an Inteleon, sat in a rather plush loveseat nursing a glass of what could be the closest thing to wine. He only crossed his legs before Ellie continued. “Couldn’t get a better read other than that, though. Accent’s definitely there, but I couldn’t place it.”

“Mmm.” The suave reptilian only hummed, a yellow eye casting down to the band in their booth. “What did you say her name was again?”

“Drizzi. But you and I both know the band gave her that name.” Ellie answered. “Little bird told me that she also has amnesia, so even if that’s not her real name, she wouldn’t remember her original one regardless.”  
  
“Quite.” He only murmured, sitting back in his seat. “You’ve done well regardless, Ellie. And for that, you have my gratitude.”

The Sneasel only turned towards her “boss,” giving him a look. “But what now? Do you want me to head back down there?”

“No, no. That won’t be necessary.” He took a swig of his beverage, before setting the glass on the table. “For now, we just sit, observe, and wait. You’ve done your part, now it is time that I do mine.”

“Which is…?”

“Why, research, of course! Extensive research at that.” He then stood and headed towards the door, his stride carrying grace with each step. “For now, return to your original task. I will contact you if I need you again.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving Ellie to stare at the door he vanished behind before her gaze went back down to the booth. She stared at the Drizzile who laughed as Roxas tried to keep a bottle of beer from a very thirsty Axel, tilting her head with a hum.

And for the longest time, she couldn’t help but to wonder...why was the Boss so intent on chasing after a dead girl?


End file.
